I only ask because it certainly seems that way to me.
I run plex server on a Windows 10 64(not server) and my main PC runs standard win 10 64bit.
Here I run the normal plex client. Nothing really fancy. All basic standard up to date.
Plex used to work then over the years bits stopped working. but If I waited long they would be fixed… not anymore it would seem.
This is what used to work:
Hitting upgrade on the plex server used to actually update it. Now each time I have to do a manual down load and run that file. Ok not a stopper.
I used to be able to watch a TV channel and for it not to end after the end of each program.(only happens on Pc client, roku it doesn’t)
I used to be able to have TV channel listings work, now they fail after a few days and I have to frig around to rebuild them. And why does it take forever to rebuild?
To me this is all main stream but it doesn’t work even with endless updates. I look at forums and they are full of similar issues. so I wait and wait but lately things are just not getting any better. They are getting worst. I sort out other peoples IT problems during the day and just want my stuff to work. Plex has way too much maintenance for me…
Ok I am not asking anyone to look at the problems in detail… i just can’t be bothered with it anymore, logs,release levels…on and on it goes…I’d only expect it to work for a while and then the next update to start breaking things again.
However… I thought maybe I give it one more go because when it used to work it was simple the best.(imho).
After an hour i rebuilt the tv listings but they wouldn’t load. I walk away and begin typing this and try again and suddenly they start working…arghhhhh
I want a quick path to get things working properly again!
All I can think of doing is uninstalling both the server and client version and start again. But I hesitate because I doubt this will be enough(I have lost faith).It really shouldn’t be this hard.
I just want the pain to stop but like I said Plex used to be the best .Does anyone think it might be the best again?
I find plex incredibly frustrating, core parts of the product break take ages to be fixed. Then if they do eventually get fixed a few updates later it will break again. For example watching a recording that is in progress on android clients. A basic requirement of any DVR you would expect a fix to be high priority. Instead they keep adding new nice to have features but not essential over first fixing core requirements.
I think the problem is the lifetime pass model. They have to keep looking for new income streams like arcade and online content to sell adverts. So the whole thing is so big that quality suffers.
They also throw out versions way to quickly from beta testing. Not give enough time find and fix issues. I would like to see them move to less frequent releases or a stable version released every so often that just receives bug fixes
I think you are right about the lifetime pass model. It probably was necessary for them at first to raise cash. But the more successful that is, the more it hurts ongoing revenue and, as you said, forces them to look for new revenue sources like ad-supported “features.”
What they should do is stop selling new lifetime subscriptions, grandfather existing lifetime pass holders to have access to core features forever, but force a change to a subscription model for new features.
I don’t know about it “having it’s day.” I’m fairly frustrated with a lot of the “improvements” being made, but there isn’t exactly a good alternative with as many features. I also have Jellyfin installed, which I have to use sometimes outside of my network. I like some things about it, and dislike others. Just like Plex.
I’ve found most of my Plex problems are solved my reverting to earlier versions of clients on Fire Stick and earlier versions of the server.
No takers on how to get core functions to work, not even from the Plex team? I want to know a window 10 server / client release that is stable and works with TV HDHomeRun CONNECT QUATRO. I am not asking for much. Anyone?
Plex is ‘Entry Level’ DVR/TV…
Give 'em another 5 years.
For what we’re paying - DVR/TV is free… basically.
If it worked perfectly - we’d be paying more.
If you’re really serious about DVR/TV - purchase a service that does ONLY THAT - like Channels/DVR. Yes, it is considered by some to be ‘Pricey’, but, as with many things - you get what you pay for.
Sounds like you have some issues tho.
My update sequence runs flawlessly on Windows 10. It tells me there’s an update, I update. Story over.
The problem is what’s in the update here lately.
It’s kinda like watching 40 Clowns get out of that little car at the circus, but it’s not that funny.
Anyway - we are at their mercy - 'cause we got nowhere to go, so we deal with it the best we can.
Fix your underlying issues by whatever means necessary and just get back to the standard ‘Dealing with it’… like the rest of us. Maybe some day something will change - or there will be somewhere else to go.
Talk nice and someone will help you, but I really don’t think there’s much help to be had with the DVR/TV thing. It either works or it doesn’t. Too many cascading failures across many platforms. Troublesome.
I have 2 channels to record - as soon as they fix that transmitter. I have used Channels DVR in the past and would again - and they don’t even have a Roku Option as far as I am aware, but with MCE Buddy and Channels I didn’t need one. They got everything to Plex in an automated conveyor belt, so it was invisible and flawless.
If your use scales weigh heavily on the DVR/TV side - you better use something else for the time being while keeping an eye on the proceedings over here for positive change. It’ll probably come someday. Can’t get any worse.
Whilst I think there have clearly been issues with the last couple of updates, on the whole, the last 12 months there have been some great developments. The DVR is not perfect, I previously ran HDHomerun without issue and now run xTeVe and it works fine most of the time, sometimes I have to readd the tuner to tidy things up, but I don’t mind a bit of maintainance to have live tv through Plex. There are other dedicated DVR apps which I’m sure are more capable but I doubt they would do a great job of handling a huge media library.
If I were you I would consider a completely fresh install of Plex, re add libraries etc. It’s painful but I had to do it a few months back and it solved several niggles I had assumed were Plex bugs, such as the auto update which now works fine.
I have looked at Channels/DVR and would be happy to pay the the monthly charge for reliability.
I have come across a few problems running it on Android. It was initially limited to the Apple ecosystem and that still shows in terms of features and fewer updates the android version has received compared to apple. On the Channels forum they say they are looking for more android developers, so maybe that will change soon.
One option I am considering is getting the new apple TV when it’s released soon so I can use channels DVR and Plex for libraries.
I’m not sure exactly how that Plex/Channels interface works - I ran MCEBuddy in the middle to pick apart, re-code, rename and file in existing libraries, but I’m fairly sure the hookup can be made in a more direct approach.
Using either the Plex for Windows (or Mac) or web client, you should be able to play a channel (instead of just a program) by clicking the channel number in the guide (where the play button is in this screenshot):
If you start playback this way it will continue after the current program ends. Or at least it does here.
These posts seem a bit incongruous. And given the somewhat rhetorical nature question in the title of the post, you may not get many takers. Typically these types of posts primarily attract like-minded folks whose interest is in commiserating, not necessarily helping (there are exceptions).
You’d likely be better served by creating topics for each of your problems (or group related problems), including as much detail as you can. If you’d like help solving those problems, that is.
Yup, it’s kinda sad. Plex was great for years, but now instead of doing one thing well they want to half-ass do 12 things. Then rather than making sure existing features work as intended, they’d rather add more bloat. And support is beyond useless here. Those are the reasons I’ve moved onto Emby and Channels. Just wish I’d never wasted money on a lifetime Plex pass.
For what we’re paying - DVR/TV is free… basically.
If it worked perfectly - we’d be paying more.
Sorry, but that’s an extremely poor justification you’re attempting. Emby is the same price yet their DVR isn’t plagued with show stopping bugs. WMC was free and it’s DVR was rock solid.
WMC, as in Windows Media Center? That’s definitely not a fair comparison… A program developed by a multi-billion dollar corporation and featured in their flagship OS better be solid!
So what’s your reasoning for Emby then? I’m sorry, but there’s simply no excuse for the piss poor state this DVR system has been in for years. Yet they still have the nerve to charge for the bug riddled BS.
I haven’t used Emby, so I have no opinion either way. I have noted in other posts over the past year that Live TV & DVR does seem more reliable in Jellyfin with my setup. I don’t know what the reason is. But from the complaints I read here and from my own experience, the majority of the complaints about live TV on Plex are related to Android platforms.
I can think of few VERY generic reasons for this:
Plex is working on too many different projects and the developers are spread too thin to properly QC their work.
Google has made significant changes to its API repeatedly that make it difficult to keep certain features working (such as the camera upload drama)
The Android team is understaffed (or is under performing)
They receive far more positive feedback from beta users than we see here in the forums
4.5) 99% of the beta users don’t actually report bugs, so they see 100 downloads of the beta version and only 10 complaints, so don’t have any urgency.
Somebody is insulating the decision makers from negative feedback which causes resources to not be diverted to bug-squashing like it otherwise would be.
Believe me, there are some things that frustrate me about Plex just as much as the next guy. That’s why I run an older server version and an older client on my Fire Stick 4K. But as somebody else said, there’s really not anywhere else to go if you like certain features.
In the end, its the lesser of 4 evils for my personal use case.
I certainly reserve the right to complain about things I don’t like, but I don’t think its fair to make it personal or to take any of the bugs themselves personally. I paid a relatively low one-time cost for a life-time of service and updates. As long as I have the ability to not update my server or client if I want to avoid certain bugs or UI changes, I can happily sleep at night.
I’m totally with you here.
It’s pretty easy to pick a particular feature of any rival product and focus on it as why its better/sucks in comparison.
I have Lifetime and Lifetime Emby Premiere.
Personally I don’t use DVR at all. If I did I would perhaps be here extolling the virtues of Emby.
But then again perhaps if I were using Emby full time I would be on the Emby forums asking why the client UI sucks as much now as it did 5 years ago. (Something unchanged in 5 years will suck as much now as it it did 5 years ago.)
I would also perhaps be asking why Jellyfin is running Emby into the ground at zero cost.
Do I regret buying Emby Lifetime? Nope. Over the years I had more than my money’s worth.
Mostly though if I found a solution that worked I would probably be too busy watching my media, rather than spending my time browsing another Media Server solutions forum full time.
I say full time as Emby must really suck if someone can pick up on a thread that isn’t even tagged as being anything to do with DVR to complain about DVR. But hey each to their own.
In the end it doesn’t matter what kind of excuses you can come up. All I want is software that at least mostly works the way it’s intended. Plex has had years and still can’t deliver. There is no excuse for this with a paid product.
Yea, I have (had) high hopes for Emby - as they are (were) the closest to being an alternative to Plex - if they would stop sucking.
Hopes have ultimately waned - and here we are - with nowhere to go.
My thinking is you have to hate Plex with dedication to claim Emby is great. Emby is NOT great. Emby isn’t even that good, but unfortunately they are STILL the closest thing to an alternative to Plex - they just have to stop sucking and they’ll have something…
Out of curiosity, what is the problem with Emby? While I agree the UI could use some polish, my wife highly prefers it over Plex. In my experience it’s also been rock solid and actually functions as advertised. So in my opinion, it is great because it actually works. I guess Plex did help to set the bar pretty low there though.
I don’t hate plex by any means. I just wish I hadn’t spent money on a half finished product.
It needed polish 5 years ago.
The app is what I have to look at and if it looks like it’s been developed by a developer’s children - it’s not for me. I’ve been spoiled with the Roku App I guess.
Ah, there’s the problem - I don’t have one of those…(JK…lol)
In the end, where I to pick up stakes and move - I’d not only have my hut on the mules, but I’d have all my Friends and Family along for the ride - and NOT ONE Of them can set a Remote Quality all by themselves… yea, Emby better come with a team of Dancing Girls AND have a great app or my mules are gonna die where they were born. Right here.
BTW:
A few years ago when I checked Emby last - I fired up a few libraries and saw the screen loaded with Recently Added Lists out the Wazoo and I ran from the building with my hair on fire.
Plex simply doesn’t know how BAD that idea was. My hair’s on fire, but there’s nowhere to run.
